The Pramac Ducati squad arrive in Qatar for the final pre-season test before next weekends season opener and Randy De Puniet and Loris Capirossi used the first day to learn how their machines handle the circuit under the floodlights and change their setups accordingly.
For De Puniet, most of the session was spent in the garage after having two crashes leaving his bike unusable. The Frenchman ended the day 10th fastest despite the offs. “Lets say that this was not my luckiest day of testing. Because of the two falls I lost almost two hours because both bikes were not usable. The first crash I expected because I was almost to the limit, while the second happened far too quickly, like as if I had put the wheels on oil. However the most important thing is that I am physically okay and that I was able to step back on track in the last part of the session and I manage to improve my fastest lap time. It will be very important to work well tomorrow to prepare the bike to race next Sunday.”
Capirossi had a faultless and consistent ride to 14th on the timesheet. “Notwithstanding I wasnt in my best physical conditions it’s been a good day at work where we have experienced some interesting solutions. The situation, compared to Sepang, has improved even if we have to aim higher. We must and we can improve significantly in the long corners. Looking at the other rider while on the track, I can see that in that area is where we lose most of our time. We must all work hard together to achieve important results.”